The Brits may like their leaders to cook, we’re okay with governance

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently revealing that he had not cooked any food himself for over 15 years — despite being a self-confessed dab hand at this skill — there is presumably no chance to get a peek at the kitchen in Race Course Road in the near future.

Luckily, being able to whip up a mean undhiyu is not a prerequisite for the top job in this country yet, so the PM’s rusty culinary prowess will doubtless not trouble the ruling party overmuch.

However, both prime ministerial candidates in the British general elections opting to be interviewed in their kitchens is curious.

Will Britons be swayed by the contrasting appearances and appliances of the candidates’ kitchens or are they expected to assess the allegiance of David Cameron and Ed Miliband to the five-veggies-a-day mantra or organic ingredients like Masterchef judges and vote accordingly?

Messrs Cameron and Miliband were probably influenced by the fact that more Britons are cooking at home again due to recession and food scares like the horsemeat fracas. It does them no harm to show that they are not above such concerns too. Pragmatic Indian voters, however, probably prefer their PMs to be preoccupied with what they are generally voted in for — running the country — rather than pondering what to make for dinner. Once upon a time, Britons did too.